How Jim Schlossnagle's Decision to Stick With Dylan Volantis Changed the Game For Texas

Texas Baseball got off to the worst possible start it could have imagined against Georgia in its College World Series opener.

Dylan Volantis, Texas’ ace who rarely seems capable of having a bad outing, endured a disasterous first inning that featured a leadoff walk, a Rylan Lujo two-run homer off the left-field foul pole, two Carson Tinney throwing errors on strikeouts, a wild pitch and a hit batter.

Before the Longhorns knew it, Texas was in a 4-0 hole and Volantis was at 41 pitches after just one inning.

Georgia just had two hits. Nightmare start.

But Volantis battled. The left-hander wasn’t perfect — he hit four batters, a season high — but after the opening frame, he settled in beautifully. He struck out eight batters through six while keeping the nation's best offense largely in check.

The problem was Texas never held up its end of the bargain, managing just three hits through the first six innings. Adrian Rodriguez accounted for two of those, while Ethan Mendoza collected the other. The usually excellent top of the order went an abysmal 0-for-11 with seven strikeouts.

Realistically, head coach Jim Schlossnagle could have taken out Volantis after the sixth. He sat at 97 pitches, but just retired nine consecutive batters and didn’t look to be slowing down. Bringing in Sam Cozart would have only been justified if the Longhorns had shrunk the lead further, but Georgia still led by three runs.

If Volantis was dealing, he likely gave Texas the best chance to stay in the game.

That decision assuredly decided the matchup.

Volantis Hits His Limit as Georgia Pulls Away

Texas Longhorns pitcher Dylan Volantis (99) pitches during the first inning against the Oregon Ducks. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

After a battle fought six innings, Volantis had hit his limit in the seventh.

The defense did him no favors, as Tre Phelps reached to open the inning when a ball glanced off Casey Borba’s glove for an error. A wild pitch moved Phelps into scoring position, and Daniel Jackson followed with a fielder’s choice that left runners on the corners with nobody out.

At that point, Schlossnagle walked to the mound.

Normally, that’s the signal. The Texas head coach rarely makes a lengthy mound visit without making a pitching change. With the heart of Georgia’s lineup due up and Volantis nearing 100 pitches, a move to the bullpen would not have surprised anyone.

Instead, Schlossnagle left his ace in the game.

The gamble didn’t pay off.

Ryland Lujo immediately ripped an RBI double down the left-field line before Kolby Ishikawa followed with a two-run single. All three runs were unearned, the product of defensive mistakes that plagued Texas throughout the night.

By the time Volantis exited, Georgia’s lead had ballooned to 7-1, and Texas had no chance of recovery.

Brett Crossland and Michael Winter combined for 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief, but the damage was done.

It could be hard to argue that pulling Volantis would have made much of a difference. The offense struck out 15 times and looked helpless against Georgia starter Joey Volchko.

The Longhorns simply didn’t play well enough to win.

And now firmly in the loser’s bracket, Texas faces an excruciating road to redemption.

The Longhorns will take on Alabama in an elimination game Monday at 1 p.m. CT.

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